Freeview in Balbriggan?

bk

A friend of mine has recently moved to Balbriggan and he is wondering if it would be possible to pick up Freeview there?

He is currently getting BBC1, 2, UTV and C4, from an aerial with very good reception and picture quality. He thinks that he is getting it from the North.

Would this be any indication of ability to get Freeview?
Anybody in Balbriggan getting Freeview?
Would the aerial he has work with Freeview, does he need anything other then the Freeview box?

Thanks for any help guys

Ulsterman 1690

He thinks that he is getting it from the North

If hes getting UTV then indeed its coing from "the North" (as opposed to "the East") however he needs to be a bit more specific about WHERE in Northern Ireland he's getting it. If its coming from Camlough or Kilkeel then he hasnt a hope of getting freeview (these sites dont carry it yet) however if hes getting a signal from Divis (Belfast) than he might be in with a chance although Balbriggan is a long distance for a Freeview signal to travel.

If his BBC aerial is horizontally polorised (Group A) then its probably looking at Divis

lawhec

And as I've said before regarding picking up Freeview in Dublin - you can forget about Muxs 1 & 2 from Divis as RTÉ 1 and 2 from Three Rock will obliterate them.

Ulsterman 1690

NC any idea how much roughly "analouge interference" it takes to make digital reception go pearshaped ?

(not the most technically elegant phrasing but you know what Im getting at)

lawhec

I'm not entirely sure to be honest, but I don't think it takes a huge amount to upset it. It would be very safe to assume however that a UHF analogue signal from Three Rock mountain on channel E29 (RTÉ 1) that could be received indoors on a set-top aerial would make Mux 1 from Divis on the same frequency almost impossible unless some elaborate ironmongery setup focusing on an infinite front-to-back ration was used, which by that case you'd be better off getting a FTA satellite receiver and 45cm satellite dish unless you really had to have channel 4.

Certainly in Tyrone there is a "line" which defines reception of DTT from Brougher Mountain and analogue TV from Holywell Hill on the same channels where one or the other comes into play, lying somewhere between Omagh and Newtownstewart.

Last year I had a number of muxs from Brougher Mountain wiped out thanks to tropo so its certainly possible (I believe the co-channel was from Darvel but couldn't verify it.)

watty

65cm dish. With 45cm the picture freezes ihn heavy rain
You would need a 12' dish of chicken wire to get Divis and not Three Rock.

lawhec

65cm dish. With 45cm the picture freezes ihn heavy rain

I don't doubt that a larger dish gives a better result on rain margins, but with BBC & ITV on Astra 2D, whose footprint is centered on the Isle of Man, a smaller dish in and around Dublin could be got away with for that satellite alone.

watty

Only some of the channels are on 2D, Sky is not overgenerous on Dish size and they recommend 65cm for Dublin. Some channels are on two other astra Satellites and some on Eurobird. For Sky platform.

bk

Thanks for all the info.

SPAWKER

bk
Your mate hasnt a hope of getting freeview in Balbriggan,We get our signal from the transmitter in Kilkeel which is group B and does not carry freeview yet.I had a lend of a mate of mines freeview box last year to try it but to no avail.

bk

Thanks SPAWKER

Mayo Exile

If its coming from Camlough or Kilkeel then he hasnt a hope of getting freeview

With the digital switchover due in N.I. by 2012 would Camlough and especially Kilkeel extend Freeview further into RoI once these relays are converted. I've noticed alot of houses down the east coast as far as north co. Dublin with vertically polarised aerials pointing in the direction of the Mourne Mtns. These are picking up BBC/ITV signals from the 500W Kilkeel relay i'm guessing? Would a Freeview signal from this relay go as far as the current analogue one? Obviously would depend on strength and direction of potential Freeview signal.

Ulsterman 1690

Possibly although they dont plan on converting ALL relays to freeview (The theory goes that some relays were installed to deal with types of reception problems that DTT doesnt suffer from)

Maybe I should have said "hasnt a hope of getting freeview YET"

Also the cochannel protection ratios with DTT are lower than for Analouge which in simple terms means theres no gurantee that future Irish DTT services wont interfere with reception of the UK ones (within Ireland)

lawhec

With the digital switchover due in N.I. by 2012 would Camlough and especially Kilkeel extend Freeview further into RoI once these relays are converted.

Perfectly possible.

Would a Freeview signal from this relay go as far as the current analogue one? Obviously would depend on strength and direction of potential Freeview signal.

Provided the right approx. analogue to digital coverage measurements are made, I couldn't see why not bar co-channel issues.

Possibly although they dont plan on converting ALL relays to freeview (The theory goes that some relays were installed to deal with types of reception problems that DTT doesnt suffer from)

Ofcom actually are planning to upgrade ALL relays, saying that it'll be cheaper to convert them and keep them going that to decommission them! Some of the bigger relays that don't carry DTT are designated to carry all services, others will only carry 3 or 4 multiplexes. I believe that the "full" service is provisionally planned for Camlough and Kilkeel along with Strabane, L/Derry and a few others in N.Ireland.

L1011

Some relays are only going to get Mux 0 however, which will be the current 5 terrestrial but just in digital. Which is 1 channel more than many of them get on analogue.

lawhec

MYOB wrote:

Some relays are only going to get Mux 0 however, which will be the current 5 terrestrial but just in digital. Which is 1 channel more than many of them get on analogue.

There was some talk of this Mux "0" for a transistion period, but the definite plan is for each relay that doesn't carry DTT at the moment to carry at least three multiplexes, 1, 2 and either A or B (it'll be B if Five agree to be broadcast from it at some point in the future) as they are designated public service multiplexes.
As an example, the Ferryside "relay" in Wales which was exprimented on for the DSO only carried 1, 2, A and B.

I had an old post which laid out provisional Ofcom proposals for what relay stations would be designated to carry all six.
Edit: Here it is... http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=188865

L1011

Northern Correspondent wrote:

There was some talk of this Mux "0" for a transistion period, but the definite plan is for each relay that doesn't carry DTT at the moment to carry at least three multiplexes, 1, 2 and either A or B (it'll be B if Five agree to be broadcast from it at some point in the future) as they are designated public service multiplexes.
As an example, the Ferryside "relay" in Wales which was exprimented on for the DSO only carried 1, 2, A and B.

I had an old post which laid out provisional Ofcom proposals for what relay stations would be designated to carry all six.
Edit: Here it is... http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=188865

hrm, I stand corrected then - although it was DigitalUK (the switchover agency)'s site I read the Mux 0 stuff on. It stated that some relays will go 6, some go three - for the terrestrials and their spinoffs basically - and some for "mux 0". But it was some months ago.

vsat

Hi,

I've had freeview in skerries,
Most of the time signal is very poor,
Only good in high pressure weather.
equipment :
triax wide band 100 antenna( yagi)
triax wide band amp
Divas Mast
excellent quality when it works.
but never prefected

regards.